


Nobody Here But Us Chickens

by Wonderlandleighleigh



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Excalibur (Comic), X-Men (Comicverse)
Genre: F/M, Gen, I mean it's a fic, Look this isn't exactly a super happy fic, So..., Stuff happens, Ten has terrible luck, so does Kitty most days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 21:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15916506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wonderlandleighleigh/pseuds/Wonderlandleighleigh
Summary: Kitty Pryde meets the Tenth Doctor. They hang out some times and question each other's life choices. It works for them.





	Nobody Here But Us Chickens

1.

Kitty sniffs hard, not because she’s upset, or crying, but because she’s attempting to suck some of the blood that’s currently trickling out of her nose back in. 

It doesn’t work, so she wipes it away with her sleeve instead. 

“Right,” the man says. 

He’s tall, and tawny-haired and British and he’s wearing a brown pinstripe suit, with off-white Chuck Taylor high-tops and Kitty thinks that’s actually pretty damn cool. 

He sits down and settles an ice pack on her face. “There we are.” 

“Thanks,” she says, and her voice is muffled by the plastic pack. She squints at the cold, but it feels good a moment later. “What’d you say your name was?” 

“I’m the Doctor,” he tells her. “And honestly, you didn’t have to step in. I coulda taken-” 

“A hoard of war wolves?” Kitty asks with a short laugh. “I don’t think so.” 

“Well...I could have. Maybe. Maybe I could have, well - possibly. Well- probably not. What’s your name again?” 

“Shadowcat.” 

“What’s your actual name?” the Doctor asks, wrinkling his nose. 

“Hey!” Kitty cries with a laugh. “It took me a long time to figure out a good X-Men name and I happen to like it.” 

“Ooh, X-Men,” the Doctor says. “That makes more sense. And it explains the war wolves. Still. What’s your real name?” 

“I’m guessing the concept of secret identities escape you.” 

He thinks about that for a moment. “I’m just gonna find out anyway, so you might as well tell me.” 

She rolls her eyes and holds out a hand. “I’m Kitty.” 

“Hence ‘Shadowcat,’ very clever,” the Doctor says as he shakes her hand. “Nice to meet you, Shadowcat Kitty.” 

“So why were they after you?” 

“No idea,” he says innocently. 

“Bull,” Kitty snaps. “Come on. Spill.” 

The Doctor sighs heavily. “Right. So…I...might be a time-traveling space-fairing alien. And I...might be the last of my race.” 

“Neat,” Kitty chirps. “But also sucky. Keep talking while I figure out if this nose is gonna stop bleeding.” 

***** 

2\. 

“And this is-” 

“Doctor!” 

Alistaire Stuart looks surprised. “You’ve met?” he asks, looking from Kitty to the Doctor. “How- how have you met?” 

“Around,” the Doctor grins, before walking up and leaning down to give Kitty a hug. “This one saved my bacon from some war wolves a few years back.” 

Kitty grins and hugs him back. “Good to see you still in one piece without me.” 

“Well, I do alright,” the Doctor grins. 

“Oh! Hey! Let me introduce you to my friends! This is Rachel, and Kurt and-” 

 

3\. 

“Heard about your friend,” he says. 

Kitty nods and wipes her eyes a little. “Yeah.” 

The Doctor falls into step next to her. “Seems like you been havin’ a rough go of it. Your friend passing away…” 

“And on top of that,” Kitty says, as she stops walking along the beach. “On top of that, I got talked into trying to manipulate her brother...my...my friend... into...god, I don’t know. Everything is really messed up right now. I mean, I thought it was messed up before when we thought everybody died in Dallas, but-” she shakes her head. “You’re an alien, right?” 

He nods. 

“Have you ever looked at your life, and looked at the lives of all the normal people on earth and just...just thought... ‘what the fuck?’” 

“No,” the Doctor says quickly. ‘Well, yes, but without the strong language.” 

Kitty laughs despite herself. 

“You, Kitty Pryde, sound like you could use a breather.” 

“God that sounds great,” she says softly. 

“If you could go anywhere,” the Doctor says,” anywhere in the universe, any-when. What would you pick?” 

“Anywhere and any-when but here,” she admits.

He grins. “Well, that’s a bit broad, but we can work with it.” 

4\. 

“So.” 

“Hi.” 

“A giant bullet, then.” 

“Don’t even ask.” 

“Right. Fancy a drink in a space saloon?” 

“Fuck yeah.” 

“Honestly, Kitty. I know you cared about that Wisdom bloke but I’ll never forgive him for teaching you to curse.” 

“Oh, please. You’ve met Wolverine.” 

5\. 

“Rogue and Gambit had a nice wedding, at least.” 

Kitty looks up and grins sadly. “Yeah. It was nice. I’m happy for them.” 

The Doctor sits next to her, looking out beyond the cliff. “But you couldn’t do it.” 

“Nope,” she says with a sigh. “I got up to bat, and I whiffed.” 

“Now I know you’re sad,” he says, wrinkling his nose. “You’re making baseball metaphors.” 

“I couldn’t marry him,” Kitty admits. “It’s just not what I want.” 

“So what do you want?” he asks. 

“Eh,” she shrugs. “I’ll figure it out tomorrow.” 

6\. 

“Wisdom.” 

“Doc.” 

“I don’t mind giving MI13 a leg up every now and then,” the Doctor says as he sits in the man’s office. “But you could ask me nicely.” 

“I’m not very good at nice,” Pete Wisdom admits. “I pay other people to be nice for me.” 

“Hey, Pete,” a familiar voice says from behind the Doctor, and he turns, eyes wide as Kitty leans into the office. 

“Yeah, Pryde?” 

“Alistaire’s got a thing for you to look at,” she says, and smiles at the Doctor. “Hey.” 

The Doctor frowns deeply and looks from Kitty to Pete, and then back to Kitty. 

She shrugs awkwardly. 

He sighs heavily and rubs his face. 

7\. 

“I suppose I get it,” the Doctor says as they grab a corner table at the local pub. “He’s good-looking, he’s dangerous, and you like rude men who aren’t ginger. But you’ve done this before with him.” 

“He’s different,” Kitty shrugs as she sits down. “And so am I.” She grins at their server. “Hi. A whiskey on the rocks and a banana daiquiri.” 

“What do your X-Men mates have to say about it all?” the Doctor asks. 

“Nothing, because they don’t know,” Kitty tells him. 

“That’s healthy.” 

“We’re just seeing where this goes!” Kitty cries. “Without a whole bunch of judgy X-Men breathing down our necks. For all we know it’ll fall apart tomorrow, or next week.” 

“And if it doesn’t?” 

“Then...maybe I’m with a guy who’s kind of weird and kind of rude, but actually loves me for who I am, and doesn’t expect me to be perfect, and understands the whys and hows of my crazy bullshit,” Kitty says. “Maybe I’m with a guy who’s - yeah, older, but sexy and funny and sweet in really strange ways, and he likes that I can kick ass better than he can. What’s wrong with that?” 

“Nothing,” the Doctor says grinning at her a little. “If that’s what you want.” 

Kitty takes the whiskey from their server, pounds it and sets the empty glass on the table. “Maybe it is.” 

8\. 

“What’re we doin here, then?” Martha Jones asks as they wander down the maternity ward. 

“Friend o’ mine just had a baby,” the Doctor says absently as he peeks into rooms and through the nursery window. “Ha! There we are.” He taps the glass and points to one of the babies up front. “Baby girl Wisdom. That’s who we’re here to see.” 

“Wisdom,” Martha repeats. “That’s a helluva name, innit?” 

“Yeah, but don’t tell her old man that,” a voice says behind them. 

The Doctor turns and laughs jovially before hugging the woman standing there. “Kitty Pryde. Or is it Kitty Pryde-Wisdom now? Kitty Wisdom-Pryde? Kitty Wisdom? Kitty P Wisdom?” 

“Yeah, we sorta...forgot to get married,” Kitty tells him awkwardly. “And by forgot I mean we both totally chickened out.” 

Martha looks confused. “So you had a kid instead?” 

“What can I say?” Kitty shrugs. “We’re a couple of maniacs. I’m Kitty Pryde, by the way.” 

“Martha Jones,” Martha says, smiling. “Congratulations. Your baby is gorgeous.” 

Kitty nods with a grin. “Thanks. We kinda like her.” 

“Where is Pete, anyways?” the Doctor asks, looking around. 

“Poor old git is napping in my room,” Kitty grins. “I may have definitely threatened to phase his heart from his chest, put it in a food processor and feed it to our daughter.” 

Martha stares at her for a long, long moment before turning to the Doctor. “You have weird friends.” 

Kitty just smirks. “Lady you don’t know the half of it.” 

9.

“Finally stopped chickening out, I see.” 

Kitty Pryde grins widely as she twirls in her short wedding dress. “Not bad, huh?” 

“Very nice,” the Doctor nods. But his grin is sad. 

She tilts her head. “Hey...what’s up?” 

“It’s nothing,” he says. “Really, it’s nothing. It’s your wedding day. You just got married.” 

“Yeah…” Kitty nods. “But you look bummed.” She sits down on a bench and pats the seat next to her. “Come on. I’m a mum now. I gotta practice for when Sadie is older. What’s wrong?” 

The Doctor sits slowly, looking troubled. “I lost my friend.” He takes a deep breath. “My best friend. And I lost her. I didn’t have a choice. I just...she’s safe. Memory got wiped. She’s with her mum and her grandad, but...but she doesn’t remember me, and...and if she did, she’d die. And I…” 

Kitty wraps an arm around him, pulling him in and holding him tightly. “Sokay, Doc.” 

He doesn’t respond. 

“Sokay.” 

10\. 

The Doctor settles down next to her on the steps of the Wisdom’s row home in Mayfair. “So?” 

“So?” Kitty repeats, smiling at him as she cups her mug of coffee in her hands. “So what?” 

“Years ago,” the Doctor says. “Years and years ago, you had no idea what was gonna make you happy. So really...I have to ask…” 

“Yeah,” she says, looking out at the road in front of them, contentedly. “Yeah. I’m...I’m really happy.” 

The Doctor nods. 

“What about you?” Kitty asks, looking at him thoughtfully. 

“Oh, you know me,” the Doctor says, grinning a little. “Always traveling, always on the go.” 

“Strike one, try again,” Kitty says. 

“Ugh. Baseball metaphors.” 

“Ball one,” Kitty laughs. “Come on. Let’s get a real answer.” 

“You are so annoying.” 

“Takes one to know one, ball two. Keep swingin’, Tex.” 

“Did you just call me ‘Tex’?” the Doctor asks, bewildered. 

“Ball three.” 

“Fine,” he snaps. “Fine, I’m not happy. I haven’t been happy - really happy in a long time, and I don’t know how to fix it, and for all my 900 years of life, all my regenerations, all my travel, I feel absolutely...useless.” 

“That is a home run,” Kitty tells him softly. “I think you managed to crack the bat in half, too.” 

“You and Jack Harkness are the reasons I don’t travel with Americans.” 

“Don’t say that name in Pete’s earshot, he’ll start bitching about Torchwood again.” 

“Bloody Torchwood.” 

Kitty laughs and nudges him. 

11\. 

“Hey.” 

The Doctor looks up from the console, his first emotion is annoyed, but at the same time he’s excited. “Kitty Pryde! What’re you doing in my TARDIS?!” 

She grins, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “I uh...yeah. I saw the box, and I thought I’d say hey. And also...y’know. Bye.” 

The Doctor stands up straight, a frown forming on his lips. “What?” 

“There’s a thing I gotta do,” Kitty tells him. “I’m the only one who can.” 

“No,” the Doctor says slowly. “No, no, no, tell me what’s going on. We’ll figure it out together.” 

“Not this time,” she says softly. “I wish there was another way, but there’s a nuke headed for earth. And it’s big. We’ve tried everything else. Next step is phasing the world.” 

“Phasing the whole world will kill you,” the Doctor says. “It’s too much. It’s too big. And if you don’t manage it, the blast could take you out completely.” 

Kitty grins widely, if sadly. “But what a way to go, huh?” 

“Kitty-” 

“Hey - do me a favor and uh...y’know,” she sniffs; this time from sadness rather than a bloody nose. “Look in on Sadie and Pete every now and then. I mean, Pete’s got it covered, but…” she shrugs. 

“Let me help you,” he snarls. “I can…” he starts pacing and then heads for the console again. “We can strap you into the TARDIS. She can use your powers to phase-” 

“There’s not time,” she says, evenly. “It’d take hours to rig that, and we don’t have hours.” 

“Then we go back!” the Doctor snaps. “We go back and-” 

“And run into past-me and start a time paradox?” Kitty asks. “And you rarely get the timing right on this thing anyway.” 

He doesn’t respond. 

“It’s a fixed point,” Kitty says. “I know it is. If I’m wrong, tell me, and we’ll go back a few days and we’ll figure it out, but something tells me I’m not wrong.” 

The Doctor looks down. 

Kitty nods. “Yeah.” 

He swallows and looks up at her again. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

“Hey, no sweat,” Kitty grins brokenly. “If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s saving the world.” 

“That’s an understatement, Kitty Pryde,” the Doctor tells her, before bounding up and giving her a tight hug. “You’re brilliant at it.” 

She hugs him back, patting his shoulder and pulling away. “Okay.” She gives him a light shove, before heading back for the door. “See you around.” 

The Doctor watches her go, and when the door closes, he slumps against the railing, closing his eyes and allowing a few tears.

12\. 

The burial is packed, and the Doctor stands back, listening to the Rabbi, muttering along with the mourner’s prayer.

He waits until everyone has wandered back toward the Xavier school before approaching the grave, shoveling a little dirt on top. 

“Home run, Kitty Pryde,” he says softly, shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers. “I think you even broke the bat.” 

END


End file.
